Word of the Day

[elementalv]

ain’t (v. dial.): contraction of are not, also a contraction of am not

Comments

it ain't necessarily so

[isiscolo]

Well, ain't as used by the counterperson does have historical precedent.

*hums I ain't got nobody...*

Re: it ain't necessarily so

[elementalv]

It's definitely in common use, no question about it, but I'm going by the OED definition (of 35 years ago). Personally, I'm looking forward to the day when double-negatives are back in standard use again. They add such a nice rhythm to speech.

Re: it ain't necessarily so

[isiscolo]

Well, I ain't got no OED, but the 10th Collegiate M-W (2002) gives three definitions: 1. am not, are not, is not 2. have not, has not 3. do not, does not, did not. So definition #2 would seem to apply here, more or less.

Re: it ain't necessarily so

[elementalv]

Nifty! I love seeing evidence of the evolution of language like that, going from point A to point B.

Re: it ain't necessarily so

[psychoadept]

Yeah, ain't has always seemed to me like a fairly all-purpose negative...

Re: it ain't necessarily so

[elementalv]

Generic, then, yes?

Re: it ain't necessarily so

[psychoadept]

Yup. Ain't can do anything!